When Love Breaks Down.

Unfortunately for many of us, instead of being a period for relaxation, the festive break can turn out to be anything but enjoyable.

Many couples find that, far from providing an opportunity to reconnect, a couple of weeks off work actually sounds the death knell for their marriage. Deciding to end a relationship is never easy, particularly if you are married and especially if you have children. Our expert family law solicitor, Joanne Graham (pictured below), has helped hundreds of clients and has created her top tips for keeping the divorce process as easy and stress-free as possible.

Talk things over

If you think there could be a chance (however small) that your relationship can be saved, see if your spouse will agree to see a counsellor with you. If you’re both willing to put the work in, you may be able to re-build your love for one another.

Seek advice quickly

If you’ve decided to move on, it’s definitely worth speaking to a specialist family law solicitor as soon as possible. They will explain the divorce process to you in detail, which should help to ease your mind and prepare you.

Think about your assets

You’ll need to think about any property that you or your spouse own – such as the family home, cars, savings or shares, and any family business or enterprise. For the purpose of a divorce, everything of value is treated as part of the same ‘pot’, which is divided during the course of the proceedings. Don’t forget about less obvious things like pensions, share ISAs and artworks or even musical instruments.

Ask for help!

Don’t be afraid to ask for support from your family and friends. It’s absolutely normal to experience a whole range of different feelings – from sadness at your relationship ending, through to anger or loneliness. You don’t need to go through the experience alone.

Be the better person

Try to be reasonable. This can be difficult if your spouse has treated you badly, particularly if they’ve been unfaithful, but ultimately the divorce proceedings can be finalised more quickly and easily if both parties are willing to be fair and respectful of each other.

If you would like to speak to Joanne about any of the issues touched upon in this article, please do not hesitate to get in touch in complete confidence.

This article was written by Joanne Graham, Family Law Solicitor at Harold Stock & Co Solicitors.